Will of Fire
by Taisi
Summary: Falling victim to a strange jutsu, Naruto wakes up in an older Konoha, still governed by the Yondaime. Yondy!Daddy
1. Prologue

**Umm...I'm a little unsure about this fic. I mean, I know the idea is a good one, and that I'm probably capable of writing around any errors that might be made, it's going to be hard to grasp the timetraveling issue. Like, if you go back in time, do you exist anymore to anyone else? Or, what would happen if you watched your own birth?**

**SIGH. I did it again. Had to go and wrap my mind around an idea until I couldn't let it go. Genius, Tai. Frickin' Einstein.**

**And there's one thing I feel like I must point out: I got the idea for this story from Reaper Nanashi, and her fic **_**Door Number Two. **_**You should all read that. It's pretty kick-ass.**

**Anywho.**

**Summary: Falling victim to a strange jutsu, Naruto wakes up in an older Konoha, still governed by the Yondaime. Yondy!Daddy: No yaoi**

**I hope, despite my negetivity, you enjoy!**

_Prologue_

The rogue nin they fought were incredible--incredible enough to bring his team down in minutes. They had strange jutsu with indescribable effects; Sakura had fallen to her knees in tears, clutching her head as she sobbed hysterically--only seconds later, Sasuke's legs buckled, and he fell, unable to use his limbs. Kakashi was able to keep just out of striking range, avoiding anything they threw at him; the attacks were unpredictable, even with the Sharingan.

He was determining how to get his fragmented team out of there, when there was a shift from behind him. He quickly spun round, thinking he'd somehow been snuck up on, and saw Naruto pushing himself up off the ground. He was covered in blood--his own blood--but there was a grin of wild determination on his face; despite how dangerously he swayed when he finally got to his feet, he pulled out three shuriken and grinned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Ready, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi, despite knowing that Naruto shouldn't be moving around because of the severity of his wounds and the large amount of blood he lost--he was worse off than Sakura or Sasuke--he knew also that once the blonde set his mind to something, there was little that could be done to dissuade him. But, as his gaze returned to their opponents, he felt he had to try.

"Naruto--"

"I never back down from a fight!" he yelled unnecessarily at his teacher. "I never give up! Not even if I'm the only one standing! _I'll fight till my last breath!"_

Kakashi felt himself smile beneath his mask. _That's my little knucklehead._

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto snarled, making a cross with his index and middle finger on both hands, holding the nin-weapons he'd withdrawn in his teeth. Instantly, the rogue-nin were surrounded by a dozen or so Narutos, all pulling out kunai. _"GO!"_ And then they were all running at the rogue nin, arms identical blurs as they hurled their weapons--and Naruto was running with them, a bloody kunai in his mouth, arms an X in front of him as he ran, each hand clenching his selected shuriken.

One of the rogue nin stepped forward, a deranged grin on his face. As Naruto and his bunshin ran at him, he preformed a series of complicated hand signs, and then shouted,

_"Kokugen Ryokou no Jutsu!"_

Kakashi's eyes widened--Kokugen ryokou?! _Time travel?!_--and he yelled, "Naruto! Get out of there, now! _NARUTO!"_

But Naruto either couldn't hear him, or couldn't move. He stopped running abruptly. His eyes were wide as he look at the white orb the enemy nin threw at him; he dazedly stared at it, before reaching out to gently graze it with his fingertips.

There was a small pulse through the air; a sound like a heartbeat.

Naruto and the orb vanished. Kakashi was left staring at a cackling ninja, who was obviously very pleased with himself--until his face met the brute force of Kakashi's fist. The jounin was through messing around: somehow, when one of their students is endangered, a sensei's vigor will be restored, and they'll kick ass until their student is safely back under their wing; such a thing was maximized for Naruto--he was a damn good kid and everyone loved him for it, so when crap happened it everyone more protectively angry than should be considered normal. He brought the rogue up to his eye level, and snarled, "Where is Naruto?"

The insane nin laughed loudly. "In another world! In another time!"

Kakashi ground his teeth behind his mask, eyes narrowing to enraged slits; the only thing stopping him from killing the bastard then and there was the information that only his living mind could produce. He'd tell the ANBU not to go easy on him--let him feel every minute of any pain he'd caused Kakashi's students to have endured.

---

He walked leisurely, hands in his pockets as he surveyed the surrounding scenery with appreciation. The blue sky, green grass, tall trees, dying kid bleeding all over the training fields...

His eyes widened and he rushed to the boy's side, hearing several ANBU race after him from wherever they'd been concealing themselves. He knelt, trying very hard to ignore the blood, and gently rolled the boy onto his back, then set to unzipping his once-orange jacket. Peeling back the boy's bloodstained shirt enough so he could see his ribs, he bit back a gasp. There was a gaping wound in his side, and several more across his chest--he could tell this by the bloody rips in the shirt. Turning to look over his shoulder, he saw that two of the ANBU had dispatched themselves to retrieve a Med nin.

Arashi wondered quietly to himself if it was already too late, but just as the thought crossed his mind, the boy began to cough. He rolled to his side, coughing roughly for several minutes until the Yondaime thought he'd choke out some organs; all the latter could do was brace his shoulders and help him to sit up, which relieved some of the pressure to his lungs.

"Are you okay?" the man asked quietly, not failing to notice the blood trickling from the boy's mouth.

Said boy turned unfocused eyes to him, and Arashi sucked in a sharp breath, seeing his face for the first time. Liquid blue eyes, clouded over with pain at the moment, bored into his with enough efficiency to make Arashi wonder if he was using some kind of jutsu. The unwavering gaze was unnerving, but the Yondaime didn't break it.

Finally the boy whispered in a wheezy voice, "You're the Fourth."

Arashi didn't know where this fit into the situation, but nodded. "Yes, I'm the Fourth."

The boy reached out a hand as though to touch him, but the ANBU tensed. Arashi watched the boy's hand falter--amazingly, the younger blonde could hear the ANBU ops tense around him, so he brought his arm away again. "You look just like they said you did," he muttered faintly.

Arashi felt something wrench at his heart when the boy started coughing again, and this time it looked a lot more painful. He clawed at his chest until Arashi gently moved his arms away; then he dug his fingers into the grass, clenching them tightly into fists.

He was drawn to the boy, though he couldn't pretend to know why. When several medical ninja arrived on the scene, the boy looked thoroughly frightened. He wrapped his arms protectively around his stomach, shaking his head resolutely.

"Kid," the Yondaime began, to be met with furious cerulean eyes.

"Don't call me that," the boy hissed angrily. "I don't care who you are. I have a name. Why can't people _use my name?"_

Arashi blinked, more surprised at the passionately angry words than the actual anger. "Okay...and what is your name?"

"...Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."

The Fourth's eyes widened. _Uzumaki? _He frowned. That wasn't possible--he had no children, or any siblings who could've had children. But the look in the dazed blue eyes was sincere; and before Arashi could question him, he fell backwards in a dead faint.

"It's the bloodloss, sir," one of the medical nins told him. "We have to get him to a hospital right away, or he'll die."

"How long can he go untreated?"

"About ten minutes, sir."

"Okay--get him to the hospital; and take him to the more expensive wing, alright? This kid needs professional attention."

The ninja picked him up, holding him gently, favoring the side with the gash, and leapt away. Arashi watched him go; the ANBU behind him were telling him something, but he wasn't listening.

He did feel drawn to the boy; oddly enough, it felt as though they were part of each other, or shared the same blood, though he knew he'd never seen him before.

It was much food for thought, and apparently, Arashi bit off more than he could chew. "You two," he said to two of the remaining guards. "Since I have to have at least two of you with me at all times, as per some random law, I want you to follow me to the hospital and try to keep up."

The ANBU snickered behind their masks, but saluted dutifully.

---

He shooed the doctors out, after making sure the patient needed no more attention, then seated himself in the chair at the bed's side. He stared at the bed's occupant. The nurse told him that he hadn't made a sound during the entire treatment; not so much as a whimper. His cough had cleared surprisingly quickly, she'd said, and his wounds had already begun to close; he was so badly beaten, however, they'd splinted his arm and leg, so the broken bones would heal correctly.

"What a strong little fella you are," Arashi mused, watching the pained expression on the sleeping boy's face. "Bearing all that pain in silence. It makes me curious."

He noticed Naruto's hands, clenched into fists over his stomach. Arashi frowned--why was he so protective of the stomach?--and went to gently move away his fists. Then he paused, and shook his head. If anyone needed to know, Naruto would tell them. Jumping to rash conclusions wouldn't solve anything, but true words spread slower.

"...Who _are _you?"

**I just had to write it!! Gomenasai! Please don't flame...and I hope you liked it!**


	2. Part 1

**Thanks for the reviews! It means a whole lot that you guys like the story, I was a little unsure about it. I'll try to keep it up, though, so be patient...It's hard to concentrate when you're on someone else's computer...XD And have I stressed that this is NOT yaoi? Okay, just making sure.**

**Okay, here's what I think--**

**.Obito is dead**

**.Kakashi is an ANBU**

**Correct me if I'm wrong, even though it's a little too late!! I'll fix it in future chappies...**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto. Yes, yes, let's all pity the sad little author.**

**Oh, and I'm reading this story called **_**Welcome To My Life **_**by Kurai Malik. It's kick-ass. Basically, Ino--with Sakura--tries this new soul-transfer thing on Naruto, that's supposed to transfer a few of his old memories to her; but instead she awoke Arashi, who'd been sealed inside Naruto after sealing him with the Fuuin Seal thing the night of Kyuubi's attack. ****I hope you aren't angry with me, Kurai Malik, for the obssessive shout-out. XDD**

_Will of Fire (Part 1) -_

_Negated Existence_

When he woke up, all he could see was white. It took him a few minutes to realize why; the plain ceiling was covered in blinding lights, shining down on him unwaveringly. _Ah. A hospital. _His eyes narrowed against the brightness, and until they adjusted his head spun wildly. He rolled onto his side, grasping at his fleeting conciousness as wakefulness tried to evade him. After a few seconds, the pounding in his temples subsided slightly, and he could sit up.

"Lay back down, kid," someone nearby said, startling him. He whipped around so quickly, he very nearly fell off the bed; but before he could fall, a hand gripped his arm firmly, keeping him in place.

"Who--" His efforts to ease his aching head were spent; the throbbing pain bore down upon him again, and he groaned, clutching at his hair."Damn it," he hissed.

"Easy," the soothing voice placated him. "You've had a heck of a recovery."

Naruto frowned, trying to recall the voice from memory. He squinted up at the man still holding his arm, internally cursing the sterile room and all it's light. And suddenly, he remembered. "...Yondaime..." His eyes widened even now as he spoke to the legendary Fourth.

The older blonde frowned at the other's expression. He hesitated for a moment, and then took a few steps away from Naruto, digging around in the drawer on the table beside the bed. He withdrew a worn Leaf hitai-ate, and was promptly attacked by the once-fatally-wounded boy. "Gimme that!" he snarled, any respect or trust in his eyes gone.

The Yondaime held it out of his reach, and pushed Naruto back onto the bed with his other hand. "Calm down, ki--" he paused at the livid expression on Naruto's face "--Naruto. I just want to know where you got it."

"I _earned _it! I passed, I'm a certified Leaf nin!" He was much more upset than anyone else would have been. "Iruka-sensei said so!"

_Iruka? That little boy from the village? _"Iruka, huh?"

Suddenly, he found his hand empty; Naruto was trying the forehead protector in its rightful place, still glaring up at the Fourth. "Yes."

Arashi could tell that any advantage he might have had in earning Naruto's trust had dwindled down to next to nothing. He sighed, and seated himself beside the boy, not failing to notice the way the latter shrinked from the close contact, a reflexive, flinching twitch--abuse?--and said, "I don't think you're from around here, kid."

"That's great," the boy hissed more to himself than to the Fourth, laying on his stomach to peer under the bed for his sandals. "Really great. The guy who devoloped my second favorite technique thinks I'm a phsyco and a liar. Freakin' brilliant."

_**Calm down, kit.**_

_Oh, you finally decided to speak up, Fox? _Naruto sneered, his exhaustion and irritation motivating his words. _Well, what ideas do you have? What brilliant words do you have for me to calm the situation? _As this rebuff turned on the Nine-tails, Naruto yanked his sandals on and started for the door. Arashi watched him, still pondering his muttered words before; and wondering why they'd hurt him so much. Why should he care what the little kid thought he thought of him? That was an excellent question.

Kyuubi was unimpressed with the blonde Genin's anger; he hardly ever was. _**Just a few.**_

Despite it all, Naruto's curiosity won out over his aggrivation after a brief mental battle, so he sighed, and sat back down on the bed, next to the clearly confused Fourth, who decided to keep his silence and watch the situation unfold. _Okay. Go ahead._

_**This man has your blood.**_

Naruto blinked.

_**Before you think to question me, understand that I have been living inside you for twelve years, and I know better than you the origin of your blood. I also recall this man from that night--the tenth day of the tenth month a little more than a decade ago. He held you tightly that night. He whispered something to you. **_Saying this obviously disgusted the demon; he wasn't one for touchy-feely-affectionate words. In fact, once upon a time, people who spouted such nonsense had been his favorite victims. He just couldn't believe he was saying such similiar trash.

_Umm..._Naruto stared at the beast incredulously. _Are you serious?_

_**I do not like wasting words, little one.**_

_But...he's...how can...that's..._

_**Open your mind to the possibilites, kit. It's not as impossible as you'd like to believe it is.**_

As Naruto digested this, using every ninja skill he'd ever aqcuired to keep his face the careful blank, Arashi decided to speak. "Why don't you tell me your story, Naruto?" He was expecting a sharp rebuttle, a swift negatory, which he didn't want to happen, because the ANBU would fly in from every random corner and swoop over to berate the littler blonde, and for some reason the thought of that--the thought of anything possibly harming Naruto--made his stomach clench painfully; but for some reason, Naruto looked at him with eager, bright eyes after only an instant's hesitation.

"Sure!"

And he began, at the very beginning. He told him his whole story. From being shunned by all the villagers, beaten, abused and unappreciated, to stealing the scroll, finding out about the demon in him and being saved by Iruka, saving him in return; he told him about getting his team, and the battle on the bridge against Zabuza and Haku; he told him all about the upcoming Chuunin exams, and how he'd been training so hard to compete, to win; he told him about the battle he'd been fighting when he got hit by the strange jutsu that sent him here; he told him about his great dream and goal to become the Hokage, and about his Shinobi Path; and finally he told him that Kyuubi said he was Naruto's father.

After all of that, his exhaustion caught up with him, and he promptly passed out into a sound sleep.

This left Arashi at a great loss as he stared at the sleeping boy.

For the next three hours he'd sit there, and digest the boy's story.

He'd study the seal on the boy's stomach that contained a powerful demon with revulsion, none of which was directed at the demon's vessel. He would run gossamer fingers over the scorched skin, and pull his hand away when the boy shuddered painfully.

He would gaze at the slumbering child, ponder his cheerfulness, his willingness to please, despite the story he'd given Arashi; the obvious sincerity in every passionate word he'd formed.

Then he'd stand, and slip the boy's sandals off, sliding them under the hospital bed.

He'd push back the boy's sleeve and view all of the bruises and scars that he could tell had nothing to do with being a ninja.

Then he'd push back the sweaty blonde hair from the boy's face, letting his fingers brush over the possession marks on his cheeks.

He would lean down low, and whisper a goodnight softly in his ear, and kiss him lightly, hesitantly, on the forehead, before sweeping out of the room and ordering two ANBU to guard the room and its occupant.

---

"I still don't understand why we have to keep watch over a miserable little peasant," one of the ANBU drawled, reclining against the wall just outside Naruto's room. "And why is the Hokage-sama so obssessed with him? He's healed up fine, quicker than normal, just toss him out--"

One of the smaller, quieter ANBU spoke up now, speaking softly behind his mask. "I think it's good Yondaime-sama has someone to look out for. His wife hasn't given him any children yet. I think he's just embracing his chance to be a father."

"Thank you, Doctor Kakashi," the first black op said nastily. "Why don't you just--"

The door of their charge's room swung open suddenly, and Naruto stood in the doorway. He stared at them for a long moment; the ANBU shifted uneasily: despite their masks, he seemed to have caught their eyes anyway, and was holding them in his unwavering, unblinking gaze. Finally, he looked away and started down the hall. The ANBU with the dog mask followed him, loyal to his orders to protect the boy who was no younger than he was. This left the other ANBU hurrying to catch up.

---

"Come on, Nasake-chaaan!"

"No, Arashi."

"But--"

_"Arashi."_

Arashi's shoulders slumped. His wife ((I'm quite confident in my assumption that 'nasake' means compassion or sympathy)) caught the look and frowned. "What is it about this boy?" she asked him softly after a moment of quiet study. "You've only know him for a few hours." 

Arashi sighed, this time averting his gaze. He couldn't exactly tell her. He himself had sat for hours after leaving the hospital, pondering the boy's words; the bright, eager-to-please shine in his eyes, the bruises covering his arms and legs, unrelated to any battles ((meaning he was abused)); the sparkling adoration in his voice, his expression, when he glanced up at Arashi--so trusting, even though they'd only just met.

And then he'd remembered another important piece of the boy's long story; he was from the future. So he must have heard all about the Hokage's of Konoha--he must have heard several stories about Arashi, the Fourth himself.

He'd remembered the boy's odd words_--"Really great. The guy who devoloped my second favorite technique thinks I'm a phsyco and a liar. Freakin' brilliant."_

Which technique had he been talking about? Arashi had been working on perfecting his new _Rasengan, _but...

Nasake watched her husband's expression turn morbid, obviously due to her refusal to meet and "adopt" the boy. Arashi told her he wanted the boy to move in, surprising himself with his words, and she'd immediently said no. She was very cautious with strangers; her husband was the Hokage, and any anonymous traveler could be an assasin sent after him. This was not to say that she was not an entirely compassionate person, but she didn't trust foolishly fast either. But to see her husband, as kind as he was, so completely devoted to a stange little boy he'd only just met was odd; she couldn't begin to see his reasoning.

But more than anything, she hated him unhappy, especially when she was the cause of it.

So she jabbed a finger at him, saying sternly, "I'll _meet_ the kid. But I'm _not _promising anything."

Nasake recieved a charming smile; she was momentarily dazzled by Arashi's bright blue eyes. "Thank you, Nasa-chan!" he chirped childishly she had to roll her eyes. But before anything else could be said, Arashi suddenly glanced toward the window. An ANBU was crouched there, and Arashi could see he was tense all over. "Hokage-sama!"

"Yes?" Arashi asked, taking a step in front of Nasake, who gripped his shoulder from behind him.

"It's the boy you told us to guard...he...umm...We lost him."

There was silence for a moment. When Arashi spoke again, he did so quietly.

"You _lost_ _a twelve year old _in a _hospital?"_

"Umm, he's actually not in the hospital anymore, sir."

Nasake watched her husband kind of twitch.

"Well, where _is _he?"

"I sent Dog after him while I reported to you, sir," the masked man said.

Arashi returned to Nasake. "I guess you'll get to meet the boysoon enough, eh?" And then he swept to the window and out it, the black op leaping out after him.

---

"I don't think you should have left the hospital."

"Eh. I hate hospitals."

The boys were sitting side by side on the bridge, Naruto completely at ease, legs dangling over the edge; there were no rails to speak of. Kakashi was more tense, crouched next to his charge, eye sweeping over their surroundings. For all that his voice was uncaring, he was trying to hide his anxiety. Although the odds of being attacked here were little-to-none, and he was as skilled as fighters come, it was early morning, and all of Konoha was sleeping; he wasn't sure if he could hold his own against a band of rogue nin, at the same time protecting a boy his own age.

"So you were always like this, then, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto whispered softly, gazing out over the water, more to himself than to the boy next to him. Kakashi glanced at him through his mask, but Naruto didn't elaborate and he didn't ask.

They sat in silence for while, until Naruto suddenly growled, "Aaaghh! I can't _stand _it!" He stopped kicking his feet over the water, letting them hang still, and he brought his fists down hard on the aged wood. Kakashi actually flinched, not expecting the sudden noise from the surprisingly silent youth.

Kakashi questioned his outburst; not because he cared, but because he knew that the blonde boy needed someone there to ask. "Can't stand what?"

"Being so damned confused..." Naruto brought up one leg so he could rest his forehead on his knee. "Being alone. I've been so alone for so long...all this new shit hurts really bad...and I'm waiting for everyone to push me away. The longer it takes...the more it'll hurt in the end."

And Kakashi wasn't the only one who was a little staggered--though he, of course, didn't look it--by the poetic, morbid words; two blue eyes, so much like Naruto's peered at them from the line of trees only yards away, full of the same hurt, but for an entirely different reason.

**Okay, it was rushed, there was OOCness, it made no sense, and it was short. I'm so sorry! I hope you're enjoying it anyway!**


	3. Part 2

**A few details of the show are going to be messed up in the story, but nothing too noticeable; I'm hoping none of you will notice. XDD So please don't look for my errors, okay? I've carefully thought all of it out--it's a first for me, too--and I've been writing long enough to know what I'm doing. Creepy, yeah?**

**Note: I'm sorry if this chapter is OOC. I tried. -**.**- And yet I probably failed.**

**'Nother Note: THIS IS NOT NASAKE/NARUTO OR ARASHI/NARUTO OR KAKASHI/NARUTO OR...Hmm...THIS IS NOT YAOI!! Ah! -looks pleased with self- I don't think there will be any pairings in this story, actually. -**.**- Ahh. Gomen.**

**Again, A Note: I'm sorry this chapter was rushed! TT-TT Please don't mind this chapter, please keep reading, and please don't flame!**

**Last Note: I'm hoping to bring Iruka in soon! **

_Will of Fire (Part 2) - _

_Inherited Legacy_

No words could describe the silence that had replaced the soft sounds the boy had been making: the rustling of cloth as he kicked his legs out over the river, his soft humming as he stared out over the shifting prisms of light on the surface of the water were gone; instead there was a still, dense quiet.

...It was too quiet.

Arashi tensed when the boy's head snapped up and Kakashi leapt to the side suddenly, reaching into his holster for nin-weapons, hurling them at an unseen enemy; and suddenly the man was on his feet, hurling several shuriken in Naruto's direction, yelling, _"Down!"_

Rather than question, he--stunning the Yondaime--obliged to Arashi's command without question, and threw himself down. Behind him, a rogue nin stumbled backwards, falling off the bridge, kunai buried deep in his forehead.

And suddenly Naruto was off the bridge, sprinting for the line of trees. His hands were by his sides, unclenched, and he was slightly crouched forward, keeping some of the weight off his legs for him to move faster. This made his balance unsteady, but any non-ninja wouldn't have been able to tell. He crossed his index and pointer fingers, yelling, _"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" _Suddenly there were eight orange-clad blonde-haired boys, all snarling angrily and pulling out various nin-weapons.

Arashi wished he could see the boy's opponent; he and his ANBU companion, and Kakashi raced after Naruto. For some reason, something inside him would not allow for Naruto to get hurt; a primal instinct, perhaps, that saw this boy as a pup to be protected--almost the same as for his students, but different somehow: stronger.

"_Stay away," _he could just make out Naruto's words, _"from the Konoha - and stay the hell away from it's Hokage!"_

Arashi's eyes quickly found Kakashi--the Dog-masked boy had caught up with Naruto seconds after the boy stopped running. The silver-haired made no move to stop Naruto from fighting; it was his fight by right. Naruto was scowling at someone Arashi couldn't see, obviously listening to what they were saying; whatever it was, it made Kakashi tense up, and Naruto snarl, crouching lower, instinctively close to the ground.

_"Shut the hell up!" _Naruto snarled, sliding out more kunai. "_Keep your damn mouth shut! You have no clue what the hell you're saying, you _bastard_!"_

And he let fly his nin-weapons, and there was a moment of silence; the men who'd insulted Konoha's Hokage fell, bleeding heavily from various places. Arashi tensed and sped up; he was at Kakashi's side in seconds. Before he could say a word, Kakashi said softly, "They called you a fool. They said you would never amount to anything, and would lead this Hidden Village to ruin."Arashi blinked at him. "Naruto didn't take that too well," Kakashi concluded in an "as you can see" voice. "It seemed to morally offend him." Arashi glanced over at Naruto, who hadn't relaxed. "He's not doing very well, Yondaime-sama," Kakashi said in an even quieter voice. "But he's ready to leave the hospital." His voice was thick with a bigger meaning.

The Yondaime stared at him for just another second, before making his way over to Naruto. Naruto was breathing heavily, fist clenched around another kunai, eyes never leaving the darkly shadowed trees. "It won't happen, Da...Fourth!" he snarled, shaking his head angrily in denial, giving no sign he realized he'd hesitated before speaking the D-word. "I won't let it! I'll die before you do - _I'll _do it, _I'll _make the sacrifice! People need you here, but they don't need me! I--" Don't we all love Naruto for his ability to run off at the mouth, but speak straight from the heart?

Arashi dropped his hands on the boy's shoulders, and turned him to face him. Now it was the older blonde whose gaze was unnerving; Naruto wouldn't meet his eyes.

_**You've said too much, kit.**_

_Gee, thanks, Fox. I hadn't realized._

_**There's still time to run.**_

_A--I can't feel my legs right now; I would never be able to run fast enough from the Fourth. _Admiration was warm in his voice, even in his mind. _And B--Where the hell would I go?_

The Nine-Tails said nothing for a moment, giving Naruto the misperception of victory. And then he said, _**You know how to reach every neighboring country and village, youngling. You're not as stupid as you let everyone think. You know exactly how to get into each one with no problems. You know why you wish to stay here. **_Seeing Naruto blush angrily, the Fox chuckled darkly. _**It takes but one person to rewrite history, little kit. You're the only one with such a chance; you'd better do a good job.**_

Naruto blinked. _Fox--_

_**Missiles, from the left, two degrees down. **_The fox's voice was rather amused, but darkly so, immediately putting Naruto on the alert.

Naruto growled, and his eyes traveled quickly in the designated direction; kunai were flying for them, their main target the Hokage. In the brief second Naruto had before it was too late to act, he scowled; he couldn't sense them--meaning the Yondaime couldn't either. Arashi was still watching him, still had him rooted in place by the shoulders, so he grabbed the man's arms and yanked forward, hard, so they kind of swapped spots. Naruto tensed, waiting for the impact.

Arashi watched the shrouded kunai pierce through the boy's skin, blood flying from the fresh wounds. They weren't thrown well, so they merely grazed across his flesh; Naruto winced, but said nothing. _Hehe...how was that, Fox?_

_**You really are a baka, little gaki. The kunai wouldn't have killed him. You're being unnecessarily heroic again.**_

Naruto scowled, and said sarcastically, _Well, I'm sorry, it's just an old habit o' mine!_

Before he could listen to the Kyuubi's reply, Naruto was suddenly pulled away from anywhere near where the daggers lay imbedded in the ground. He blinked, face a blank as Arashi ordered the ANBU to kill whomever had attacked him. "Ah...Fourth, where--"

"If you ever do something insane like that again, I'll kill you myself," Arashi said irritably, glaring at Naruto as he sprinted; somehow, Naruto found himself cradled in the arms of an irate Yondaime, being whisked off to who the hell knew where.

This was lost on Naruto for the moment, who felt the need to justify his case. "But they were--"

"I have ANBU for that kind of protection."

Naruto simply voiced the words they both knew were true, not that it appeased Arashi any: "They wouldn't have gotten there in time."

---

Nasake opened the door with a flourish, stoic and unyielding, as she had prepared herself against puppy-dog eyes, pleads, begs, and bribes of all kinds. What she didn't see coming was Arashi standing solemnly in the doorway, cradleing a weakly struggling little boy, looking ready to kill.

"A...Arashi!" She hastened forward, eyes wide with concern. "What's--"

"Would you please bandage him up, Nasake?" he asked her quietly in a tightly controlled voice. "I'm going to talk with Dog and Owl."

Nasake blinked, worry not gone from her face, but nodded and put an arm Naruto's shoulders when Arashi set him down, to draw him into the house as Arashi turned to converse with the two ANBU. Moments later, Naruto was kneeling in submission to the woman as she bound his arm with medical tape and gauze. "You're Naruto, aren't you?" she asked him kindly as she tucked the loose end of the bandage away. "Arashi's really taken to you."

Naruto said nothing, eyes tightening as he studied the floor. He started when a slender hand crossed his vision to brush at his cheeks softly.

"Are these tattoos?" she asked him with a frown, fingers tracing the whisker-like possession marks.

"Tat...? Of course not!" He scowled at her, moving away from the contact. "If I was gonna get tattoos, why would I get some as dumb as these?"

She blinked, then smiled. "I think they're cute."

Naruto shut his mouth with a blush, and turned to glare at the wall. "Hn."

"How did you get this cut on your arm?" she asked, tapping lightly at the fresh bandages.

"Rogue nin attacked," he said without preamble.

"What?" Nasake frowned. "Where?"

"At the bridge on the other side of Konoha." He felt her tense up, and continued, "Don't worry, the Fourth is taking care of it. It'll be fine." He spoke quite calmly, drawing the grown woman into the assurance.

"What makes you so certain?" she asked him after a moment, more curious than doubtful.

"...What do you mean? He's the _Fourth," _Naruto said as though that should explain it all, eyebrows raised as he turned to face her again.

"...You really trust him, don't you?" Nasake asked softly, still staring at the boy. Said boy shrugged and averted his gaze again. After a few minutes of silence, Nasake stood, gathering her medical supplies and stowing them back in the box she brought them in. Standing, balancing the weight of the burden on her hip, she started for the door. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Naruto leaned back against the wall, sitting tailor-style, arms crossed; his hair shadowed his face, so she couldn't see his expression. From the rythmic movement of his chest, to the slow, steady breathing, she gathered that he'd fallen asleep. She paused in the doorway, and deliberated. Then she soundlessly set the box down and tiptoed back to where the boy sat.

She watched him carefully for a moment, taking his every signature detail in. The way his fingers curved as he rested his hands on his lap; the way his expression changed from bitterly determined to innocently curious in his sleep; the way his hair brushed low over his face as the spikes limpened. And as she put her arms very gently around him, every piece of him reminded her of the husband she adored.

She couldn't let this boy go.

"Goodnight," she said in her softest whisper, "...Naruto." And when she pressed a gossamer kiss to his forehead, he shifted ever so slightly in his sleep, brow easing upward. And she smiled, leaning him back against the wall, and went to fetch a blanket, leaving the medical supplies where she sat them.

As soon as she left his side, two cerulean eyes opened slowly, watching her depart.

"...Goodnight..."

---

When Arashi reentered his home, it was to find his wife kneeling on the floor sipping tea, with Naruto asleep across her lap. He blinked several times, and opened his mouth, but was warned into silence by a fierce glare and a finger over the lips. "Shhh! He just fell asleep," Nasake hissed, stroking back sweaty blonde hair from Naruto's face.

Arashi smiled and sat down on her other side. "Okay," he whispered back agreeably, shutting his eyes and smiling. When he opened them again, they were full of a hopefulness Nasake understood at once; "Well? Do you like him?"

And although she knew he knew the answer, she felt the need to answer with more than just a glare. "He's...he's different. I can't explain how..." She looked up quickly from Naruto to see if Arashi understood; he did, and said so with an empathetic nod. Encouraged, Nasake continued, "He's...its like he needs attention, but he's too afraid to ask for it, you know?" She frowned, rubbing his arm. "And these scars...Are they--?"

Arashi nodded sadly. "Yes."

At once, Nasake's eyes filled with a passionate fury. "How dare they?" she hissed angrily. "Whoever did this--how dare they?" Instinctively she brought the boy closer to her; the Yondaime watched approvingly, and smiled again. "You do not hit a child!" Her voice was low, but still irate. "Especially not one as special as Narut..." She trailed off.

"Yes," he repeated. When she gave him a sidelong glance, he held up his hands. "Naruto is very special," he said hastily. She returned her gaze to the slumbering boy. "But you know, Nasa-chan...it's not really up to you anymore."

Honey-gold eyes met light blue ones. "What?" she asked confusedly, still petting the boy's blonde hair.

"I mean, even if you decided he couldn't stay here, I wouldn't let Naruto leave." Arashi shut his eyes and tilted his head to the side still smiling. "I'm sorry."

Nasake hit him lightly. "Don't be so foolish, Arashi," she berated him scornfully. "You think I'd kick him out?" She huffed and turned away again. Suddenly two arms slipped around her, hugging her tightly. She smiled and lay back into the warm, loving comfort.

And laying that way, they felt more complete than they ever had; they just couldn't explain why.

---

He opened his eyes slowly, wondering what to expect. He and Kyuubi had been talking in his dreams; for the past few years, they had done that. When Naruto was left on his own, his mind created the most horrible of nightmares--enough to wake him up, almost screaming. So Kyuubi took to waking him up from his dreams mentally, and they would sit inside the golden cage together, Naruto sprawled out on his stomach, Kyuubi sitting across from him, tails tucked around him with dignity. As time passed to the present, the only thing stopping Naruto from getting rid of the seal on the golden cage in his subconciousness at all was the Nine-tails' own safety.

And suddenly two golden eyes were inches from his own. "Ah! He's awake!"

Naruto, as resigned and calm as he had been when he woke up, shot into an upright position with a start, trying to control his palpitating heart. Two calming hands of someone behind him settled on his shoulders, easing him back into warmth. He glanced quickly over his shoulder, to find the Fourth sitting behind him on the bed.

_Wait...I didn't fall asleep on a bed..._

"I was beaten into carrying you to bed," Arashi said cheerfully, standing. "I still have bruises. Don't get too close to Nasa-chan. She bites." The woman next to him rapped him hard on the head, and he winced, inching away, rubbing the tender spot on his head. Naruto watched the exchange with wide eyes.

"So, Naruto," Nasake chirped seconds after hitting her husband, "it's past noon. Are you hungry?"

_**The kit is always hungry.**_

_Shut the hell up!_

"I'll take him to lunch, Nasake," Arashi offered. "You haven't had a day to yourself for quite a while. Just take some time off, alright?" When Nasake opened her mouth, undoubtedly to argue, Arashi set his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close, resting his forehead on hers, looking down into her eyes. "Please?"

The woman frowned. "Damn you," she said a little breathlessly. "Don't _do_ that."

"Yeah! I win!" Naruto could picture the 'Winner!' banner streaming around him. "C'mon, Naruto, before she changes her mind." And then Naruto was being dragged out of the house by a very cheerful Arashi, into the streets of a familiar different Konoha.

---

_"AWRIGHT!" _Naruto broke apart his chopsticks, grinning widely. "Ichiraku's, the _best ramen in the world!" _

The young man behind the counter blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, really?"

"You bet! _Itadakimasu! _(sp)" Naruto was slurping the noodles up with a excitedly contented expression, eyes shut. Arashi, beside him, smiled at the boy.

"I'm hoping that my daughter will work here with me when she's older. My wife passed away, and I could use the extra help," the man said kind of turning a nostalgic gaze on the rest of the ramen stall.

Arashi smiled sympathetically, but Naruto laughed, "Don't worry! You're daughter's gonna be just as devoted as you are, you'll see! She'll never let you down!" He thrust his empty bowl forward. "More, please!"

---

"Well, Naruto," Arashi sighed contentedly, stretching. "You ready to head home?" When he didn't get an answer, he glanced down at the younger blonde; said boy's gaze was riveted on something farther away than Arashi could see, blue eyes intense. "Naruto?"

"Eh? Oh, yeah," he muttered, sliding off his stool. Arashi followed his expression mild. Then Naruto stopped. "Hey, Fourth? Do you think..." Naruto frowned, pointing towards the Hokage monument. "I'm gonna be up there. I _will _be."

Arashi followed his finger to the monument, and then back to him. His expression was trembling, from anger to determination, a fire burning in his eyes. _The will of fire is stong in this one, _he thought, recalling words the Third Hokage had said. He smiled, laying a hand on Naruto's head, ruffling his hair.

"I'm sure you will, Naruto."

**Short, yes, and rushed. I'm sorry. -**.**- Please don't flame! I'll work harder! **

**Arigato, thanks for reading!**

**-distant6**


	4. Part 3

**Ahh, sorry this update took forever and a half...I was really stressed out with all the **_**other **_**stories I hadn't updated for a couple centuries, and so...yeah...**

**Umm, I'm really, really unsure about this chapter...I'm afraid it's a little OOC...And I **_**hate **_**OOC...but lately it seems like **_**all my stories **_**are OOC...damn it...**

**Ahh! Yes! Iruka is coming in/\/\ He shall be in this chapter!...I'm pretty sure...**

**Disclaimer: No, Six does **_**not **_**own Naruto. Each time we say this, whether aloud or to oneself, she sinks deeper into an inevitable depression. A moment of silence, please. ... Thank you; let's move on.**

**And this **_**is **_**a filler. -**.**- I'm sorry.**

**"The name's Ichigo and I'm the one about to beat your ass, nice to meet you." -Bleach**

_Will of Fire (Part 3) - _

_Father_

_**Kit...wake up. Kit. **_

The demon's voice was very loud and commanding; out of habit, Naruto's worn blue eyes fluttered open. He was gasping, covered in a cold sweat; the blankets on the bed he lay in were wrapped tightly around him like a straight jacket. After a moment of panic at not being able to move, he began to thrash around, trying to untangle himself and succeeding only in thumping loudly to the floor.

Muttering darkly, he stood and threw the sheets to the floor, kicking them under the bed. _Damn blanket,_ Naruto growled to himself, pushing the window open and perching in the sill. _Damn dream._

_**You never cease to amuse me, gaki.**_

_Damn Fox. _He sighed wearily, and tipped his face up, letting his eyes slide shut; the wind carressed his damp face softly, drawing a smile from him. _This is nice, isn't it?_

_**I can feel your pleasure. Such a naïve kit; disgustingly innocent.**_

Naruto refused to be baited; he willed all his tensed muscles to ease, all his tight nerves to slide gradually into a loose relaxation._ It's nice. _The moon was full, shining high in the sky, throwing shafts of dim, evanescent light over the estate. It made kind of a trance-like mood, successfully calming the blonde whisker-scarred boy down almost completely. _It's...really cool,_ he told Kyuubi as he watched the glowing orb. _It's both darkness, and light. It's..._

He was suddenly aware of someone else in the room; Kyuubi directed his hearing towards the doorway and he spun around, nearly falling from his perch. A hand flew out and caught his wrist; Naruto recognized the scent immediately and relaxed. "H-Hey, Fourth," he said with an abashed chuckle as the older blonde pulled him inside.

"Hi," Arashi said dryly, folding his arms as Naruto sat cross-legged on the floor under the window sill. His eyes strayed to the bed, mussed and tangled, and the blankets thrown in angry haste under the bed. "Nightmare?"

"Er...yeah..." Naruto narrowed his eyes to slits and averted his gaze, waiting for the inevitable; _"Ninja are tools to be used on the battlefield! They see things far worse than you can so far imagine! If you're soft enough to have _nightmares _than you aren't cut out to be a ninja!" _He clenched his teeth, glare tightening.

"Mm, the feeling's mutual," were the words that came back. Naruto widened his eyes at the man who sank down next to him with a vague smile on his face. "I've had my fair share; any shinobi who says they haven't are either lying or heartless."

_**Or both.**_

Ignoring the demon, Naruto muttered, "_You've _had bad dreams?"

"Of course; do you think that all that suppressed emotion just dissipates?" The man chuckled without any real humor. Naruto, abashed, said nothing; only lowered his gaze again. The nightmare had been so real; Kyuubi had taken over him, and he'd destroyed his team--and then the rest of Konoha. And he'd laughed. In the dream, he'd simply laughed as his friends bled and begged and died. And that was what had made it scary. A hand fell onto his head, ruffling his hair; he looked up to a rueful smile. "It's unfair that kids should have to worry about stuff like that."

"Well, it wasn't one of _those _dreams; I'm used to them," Naruto said conversationally, glancing up towards the ceiling thoughtfully. "In this one that bastard fox took over me and killed everyone." He sighed, stretching to hide the sudden trembling terror that washed over him. "He woke me up before it got too bad, though."

Arashi frowned, looking away as well. "You say I sealed that monster inside you," he said quietly.

"Yes, but I don't blame you," Naruto said, sort of stretching; he turned to smile at the Yondaime. "You did what you had to do for Konoha--it's cool."

_**You harbor no hatred for this man? **_Kyuubi was surprised, but hid the shock in his growling voice. _**The one who sealed me in you? Why is this?**_

"Well...it's not like either of you _selected_ meWhat happened, happened." _'Sides, you healed me up after the villagers beat me around. And you usually help me out when I'm over my head in a fight. _Naruto smiled again; if he weren't half-asleep, the words would not have left his lips even under torture. "And...everything that happened to me after that...with all the villagers...It kind of made me stronger!" Naruto grinned toothily, brow going down in kind of an angrily happy expression.( )

Arashi watched the boy for a moment, before smiling at him, and dropping the hand on his head to his shoulder so he could pull the vessel closer to him in a one-armed hug. "I'm glad...I don't what I'd do if you were angry with me...Naruto."

Kyuubi watched his container's eyelids droop; normally when the nightmare was so bad Kyuubi woke him up, the Genin wouldn't be able to fall back asleep again. But now...as Naruto leaned against his idol--his father--he was drifting off to sleep almost as easily as if he'd never woken up. Arashi himself showed no disgust, for he felt none, at holding close the Kyuubi no gaki. In fact...the man looked blissfully happy. And when Naruto did finally fall asleep, and when Arashi gathered him in his arms to carry him back to the bed, he did so very gently, so as not to reawaken the slumbering child.

Kyuubi watched, disgusted, as the Fourth brushed the bangs from Naruto's face and smiled, before exiting soundlessly from the room.

_**Digusting emotions. I will never understand. **_And yet, after a few moments of silence, the demon fox stood and crossed the length of his cage to curl up around Naruto--to keep him warm _only _because he did not cuddle with _anyone _and it would be bad for him if the youth were to catch cold. _**Hn. Sleep, kit. **_

---

"Give us the money!" one of the boys snarled at a much smaller one. The littler kid whimpered, but held the notes closer to his chest. The bigger boy growled and punched him hard in the stomach. He gasped, and his hold on the money loosened. When he still didn't drop it, the gang of miniature-thugs frowned. "What's your problem!" The bully was somewhat amazed that the twerp hadn't surrendered the bills to him. "Just give us the money and you won't get hurt anymore!"

The little brunette shook his head emphatically, fingers curling back into fists around the money. "I-I won't!" he whispered softly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "This is father's money."

"Then why the hell do you have it, punk?!" This time they hit him across the face hard enough for his head to snap to the side. "You steal it?!"

"No!" The little boy brought his bruised face back around to level the boy with a solid glare. "I would never! Father earned this money, and he trusted me to pick it up for him! I'll never let you have it!" He lunged forward and buried his teeth in the bigger boy's shoulder.

---

Naruto stopped walking as he and his companion passed an alley, and frowned. Arashi blinked back at him. "Eh? What's wrong, Naruto?"

"Oh, nothin'..." He shoved his hands back in his pockets and started walking again. Arashi watched him, walking at his side, stopping when the boy did. "Oy, Fourth? Uhh, you go ahead." When Arashi frowned, a little concerned, Naruto offered him a huge grin. "See, there was a puppy back there...I wanna go see if it needs help."

Arashi didn't say anything for a moment, but then he nodded. "Okay. I'll go on ahead, and wait for you at the street."

Naruto beamed at him. "Yeah, alright! Be right back," he called over his shoulder, rushing back to the alley they'd passed. He'd skidded to a stop at its mouth in time to see the older boy twist the younger's arm back until he was forced to drop the money. Naruto's eyes narrowed and he growled, bringing his fisted hands out of his pockets. "If any of you know what's good fer ya," he snarled in a very low tone, "you'll drop the money and go."

Recovering quickly from their shock, one of the kids shouted back, "Eh? Who says?"

"Me." Naruto's eyes flashed red suddenly. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was the stronger picking on the weak. From the look of scorn on the other boy's faces--they were actually bigger than Naruto was, too--the whisker-scarred boy realized they wouldn't back down. So, smirking, he brought his hands up in a familiar hand seal and yelled, _"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_

And when the bullies were being born down upon by about ten pissed-off Naruto's, they turned tail and ran--but not before dropping the wad of money. The little brunette boy was quick to pick it up, staring mistrustfully at Naruto, who approached after his bunshin vanished. "Hey, kid," Naruto drawled in a quiet voice. "Watcha doin' here?"

"I..I was on my way home, and they started chasing me..." The little boy raised his face, and Naruto was startled to see the very familiar face of man he adored; kind of youthenized, and without a scar across the bridge of his nose.

"Ir...Iruka-sen...er...Iruka?!" Naruto jumped, twitching. "You're..."

Iruka blinked. "How'd you know my name?"

"Ah...I heard the kids shouting it at you!" Naruto lied quickly, hurrying on before Iruka could argue; he had to get over how strange this was. "Hey, do you need an escort?"

"Ehh? Really?!" The kid's face lit up with pleasure. "Sure!"

As they walked, leaving behind the alley and headed for the street corner, Naruto folded his arms behind his head and glanced up, acting uninterested as he said, "So...That was pretty cool what you did back there. Y'know, standing up to them jerks." He looked down again, at what lay before them. "It was really great; don't loose that fighting spirit, 'kay?" He turned to grin at the boy, but was put off by the huge smile of admiration on Iruka's face.

"Really! You think so!" Iruka beamed widely up at him, and then giggled to himself, holding the money tightly in one fist. "Yeah! Wait 'til I tell mom and dad!" Naruto chuckled as Iruka broke into an enthusiastic conversation, the latter leading the first in the backwards escort to Iruka's home.

---

"'Bye, Naruto!" Iruka said happily, smiling up at him with almost palpable adoration. "Seeya again sometime!" And he ran off towards the house as Naruto waited, watching, from the street. A woman appeared in the doorway, smiling and knelt to hug the little boy when he reached the porch. A man was behind her, and Iruka thrust the money he'd kept safe at him, chattering excitedly. The man listened intently, then nodded with a smile, ruffling the boy's ponytail.

Naruto felt his smile fade somewhat; he turned to leave, and was gone by the time Iruka turned to point him out to his parents. "Huh...I wonder where he went..." Iruka said, looking a little dissapointed.

"That cute blonde boy that was with you?" his mother asked with some surprise. "_That's _the boy that helped you in the alley?" Iruka wrinkled his nose at the description but nodded. His mother gasped lightly. "Why, that's the boy that's staying with the Hokage!"

Iruka blinked a few times. "With...the Hokage...?"

---

Naruto trudged back to the Yondaime's estate with his hands in his pockets, staring at the ground as he walked. As happy as he was for Iruka, he still felt a little jealous; the same jealousy he'd feel when watching Kiba, Shikamaru and Chouji going home with their parents every day, leaving him alone in the empty playground.

He ran into someone and flinched back at once. "Er, sorry..." He blinked when that someone didn't move, and glanced up at them, one eye kind of clenched almost shut as though he was expecting a blow.

"Hey, Naruto," a familiar voice said lightly, and a hand fell on the vessel's head to ruffle his unruly blonde hair. "Quit looking like I'm gonna hit you, it's bad for my image."

Naruto grinned at him. "Hey, Fourth. Sorry, I had to take the puppy home."

Arashi blinked. "How'd you know where it lived?"

"Ah, it's mother and father were waiting for it," Naruto said, folding his arms behind his head again. "They looked happy to see 'im home again."

From the slight darkness in his voice and eyes, the Yondaime could tell it wasn't a canine he was taking about. The man frowned at the boy's forced jovialness, and crossed his arms as they walked, thinking. Suddenly Naruto gasped, and the Fourth's head shot up, expecting some form of danger; he relaxed when he saw Naruto gaping at an old apartment.

"That's where I live! Er, lived...Going to live...?" He looked more than a little confused, and Arashi chuckled for a moment.

"You aren't serious, are you? Who would make a kid live there, it's falling apart." Arashi stopped smiling when the boy turned a serious expression to him, without a hint of laughter in his expressive blue eyes.

"I'm the Demon Child. No one cared if _I _lived in a rundown old apartment on the bad side of town." He let his hands fall to his sides. "In fact, I think they actually _looked _for an apartment this bad. And the rent was crazy--they hardly gave me enough money to cover it," he said bitterly, eyes hugging the ground as he recalled past scenarios. "It's a good thing ramen was so cheap; I lived off the stuff." He laughed suddenly. "Hehe, not that I'm complaining! No one could tell me _not _to eat it if it was all that I could afford!"

Naruto kept walking, but missed the sound of his companion's footfalls next to his own. He blinked, stopping walking, and turned to glance back. The Fourth was openly staring at him, brow low over wide eyes. "You're serious...they did that to you?"

"Uh-huh," Naruto said, a little confused. It hadn't occurred to him that anyone would find fault in his living arrangements; he _was _the Kyuubi no gaki."But I got by okay. I don't think I would've managed if it weren't for Iruka-sensei. He was the only one who didn't treat me like..." Naruto trailed off for a moment, then continued, "Him and that Old Man, the Third." Seeing that he wasn't alleviating the atmosphere, he went on hurriedly. "But things got better after I graduated! I got friends, and pay from missions. It made things a lot easier." He turned around and continued walking, waiting anxiously to hear if the Fourth would start after him; when he did, the younger blonde sighed, relievedly. "...But...it's not like I have parents..." Naruto muttered softly, shoving his hands back in his pockets. "It's hard going home to an empty house every day."

He gasped when the ground suddenly dropped out from beneath him; he was being held firmly in the Yondaime's grip, the man holding him very close. "I'm sorry, Naruto," he said softly; Naruto's eyes widened, face hidden in the man's shoulder.

_**Kit; you've managed to unwittingly make Konoha's Yellow Flash completely emotionally unbalanced. **_

_Sh...shut up! I didn't mean to!_

_**You never do.**_

"F...Fourth?"

"It really ruined you're life, didn't it?" he mumbled, still not surrendering the boy. "Sealing that thing inside you."

"...Ah...It...I told you last night! It made me stronger!" Naruto pulled away, dropping back to the ground, so he could glare at the man, face-to-face. "No one can accuse me of being a high-class, fancy never-get-dirty shin-obi!" The way he broke it down into two seperate words made Arashi bite back a chuckle. "And no one can say 'you don't know how it feels'! An empty apartment is worth all of that any day!"

_...I guess..._

Naruto continued to stare at him, waiting for either approval at his words, or disdainful scorn. Arashi looked over his head at the Hokage Monument towering over the village. After another long moment of silence, he smiled softly, and shut his eyes. "The makings of a great Hokage."

---

As they neared the estate, walking in companionable silence, Nasake appeared in the doorway and gasped in delight. "Ah! You're back!" she called delightfuly, waving at them with her whole arm. Naruto stopped walking, staring at the waiting woman from the street. Arashi kept walking, passing him a smile when he walked past him, and joined the woman in the entranceway. Naruto began to smile at the woman's next words, and hastened to the door; "I've been waiting."

---

The rain dripped lazily off the green leaves, dropping soundlessly onto the matted forest floor. The stormy haze misted through the trees, making a visible fog cloud up the air. Through its midst, two bright red eyes shot open.

_**It is almost time.**_

**---**

**Okaaaaaay...THIS WAS SOMEWHAT A MUSINGS COLUMN FOR **_**MOI! **_**Please don't be upset with me, I did my best. -**.**- Everything's REALLY insane around here; it's so hard to concentrate when my damn **_**relations **_**are watching a movie with screaming and gunning and running and helicopters and all that **_**shimatta. **_**Kuso...gomenasai, again...Please try not to flame!**


	5. Part 4

**I don't think I can tell you how thrilled I am that you're enjoying reading this story so much! -beams- It means a lot, really! I hope it'll live up to your expectations, though...**

**Oh, thought I'd mention this; Obito and Rin are dead. I don't care whether or not it fits with the plot of the anime or whatever; I told you beforehand I'd have to make a few minor modifications, yeah?**

_Will of Fire (Part 4) -_

_Fire_

The weather was slightly hostile, dangerously throwing winds about the estate and pelting the roof and windows with small rocks and branches. Nasake had fallen asleep before the storm had worsened so badly, and Arashi--never one to fear the weather--was dosing off; until he heard footsteps down the hall. Frowning, trained instincts on the alert, he eased himself out of bed without disturbing his wife, and made his way to the door, fingers closing around the ring of a kunai he'd pulled from the pouch that lay on the dresser. Opening the door soundlessly and slipping out it before light from the bedroom window could spill into the hall, he padded down the corridor in the direction of the slight disturbance.

"Kyuubi..." A voice pierced through the darkness suddenly, making Arashi tense; and then he kind of sagged, feeling foolish. _How could I forget? _And he would've stepped out into the den to join the speaker, because from where he stood, the Kyuubi no gaki couldn't see him, but hesitated at the younger blonde's next words. "...What do you think the others are doing right now?"

Arashi blinked, hearing no response, wondering who Naruto thought he was talking to; and then Naruto gasped audibly. "Whaa--?! You're not serious! They forgot?!...That--!...Yeah...Well, I mean, I guess so...No, not all the time, why?...Oh, I get it...So...what'll happen to me then?"

Arashi listened with fascination, shifting to the side slightly so he could peer through the darkness at his young charge's face; stunned surprise quickly turned to horror, and Naruto's eyes--already wide and dark with fear and disbelief--widened even farther, his brow lowering to give him an angry, rebeliously afraid look. And then his features softened out into a single expression of quiet despair.

"So...I'll die?"

Arashi forgot to listen after that; whoever Naruto was talking with, Arashi couldn't hear the other side of the conversation: and from the look on that scarred face, it was not a happy one, either--and yet really it was those words, said in such a way...His voice was without fear or anger when he said them, just a morbid curiousity.

"Oh...That makes more sense, I guess...So, it'd be like I never existed in the first place..."

Arashi frowned, and stepped into the dim light of the family room. Naruto blinked up at him from where he lay sprawled out on the couch. "Oh, hey, Fourth. I thought you were asleep." He sat up and scooted over to give the Hokage room.

"Could say the same for you," the Yondaime muttered dryly, raising an eyebrow as he joined him. Naruto grinned hugely.

"Well, usually rain puts me to sleep, but when it storms real big like this Kyuubi and I work on some techniques."

Arashi's smile faded a bit. "It trains with you?"

_**Foolish human, **_Kyuubi thought sourly, staring begrudgingly at Arashi through Naruto's eyes. _**'It' indeed.**_

"He actually just feeds me some chakra and laughs when I mess something up," Naruto ammended.

"Ahh, sounds a bit more credible." Naruto chose not to repeat the Fox's retort. "Was that what you were talking to just now?"

"Yeah," Naruto said, glancing at his stomach. "I was just wonderin' whether or not my team was alright--'cause when that world kicked me out, we were in the middle of somethin' kinda drastic--but he said..." Here, he scrunched up his face. "Once I woke up in this world...my being in that world just...ceased to have ever existed...Or somethin'..." He scratched the back of his head, gazing out the window. "Because someone can't exist in two times at once--so, basically, it was like I was never born there. Sasuke and Sakura don't know me, and neither does any of the others...Or Iruka-sensei, or Kakashi-sensei or Ero-sennin, or Obaa-san or--"

"Wait..." Arashi held up one finger, to allow a few moments for his mind to digest this new information. It all made sense. If a person was to travel back to a time before they were born, then the entity that is traveling obviously belongs in no time at all. Once they land in a time, it have to be one where they don't already exist--and then the people from the time frame that that person just left would have no memory of ever dealing with that person--because that person _never existed. _It was all rather complicated and altogether too profound to think about at nearly midnight, so he beckoned for the vessel to continue. "Go on."

"Well...I was just, you know..." Naruto was struggling to voice his thoughts, liquid blue eyes hardening; Arashi began to realize that they did that, became so inexpressive, when he was tormented about something (it makes sense but kind of defeats the purpose to react the same way each time you feel a certain way, whenever you don't want anyone to know how you feel). "I mean, I worked really hard to gain their...acknowledgement. You have no idea how hard...and it took so long before they could...finally...I dunno, _see _me." He clenched the front of his shirt. "And now it's just me and Fox again..."

Arashi bit back his quick retort; yes, he was the boy's biological father, but neither of them had any reason to accept that from each other. While Arashi was already insanely protective over the boy, and Naruto would always jump to the Yondaime's defense at the slightest infraction sent his way, they didn't really know each other, despite how close Naruto kept to his side all day every day, and nothing much was being done to alleviate that.

He wasn't sure exactly what to say to get the glum look off Naruto's face; but he was saved the trouble when a particularly loud rumble of thunder shook the estate. The lamp on the table on one end of the couch lurched and fell, doomed to hit the ground and shatter; and worse, wake up Nasake. Arashi shoved a cushion into Naruto hand's and the latter threw it with dead precision, and the lamp landed harmlessly and with no more than a muffled thump. The blondes grinned and gave each other a thumbs-up for their teamwork (Naruto was struck by how much like Lee and Gai they must've seemed), when the wind outside started roaring ferociously. It was then that their shinobi senses went on the alert; Naruto tensed, eyes flinching upwards as though to detect some kind of a threat, and Arashi frowned, standing; and then an ANBU--panting and a little disshelved--was at the window, pulling away his dog mask for a moment.

"Kakashi-sense--er, -san!" Naruto rushed to the window, holding it open so the boy could step inside. He was sopping wet, hair a darker silver and sagging slightly. He nodded quickly to Naruto and then his gaze traveled until it fell on the approaching Yondaime.

"Hokage-sensei!" He rushed forward a bit, calm exterior a little more irritated that usual. "Lightning struck down on the park--all the trees are on fire, and it's spreading into town."

Any cheer that was left in the atmosphere died quite suddenly, and two identical sets of blue eyes widened.

---

Though the storm had been strong there had been very little rain; leaving the people gathered to fight the fires buffetted by strong winds, and the slight startle every time an especially loud clash of thunder decided to roll. The villagers watched, horrified, as fire consumed their village. The Leaf nin were helping to the best of their abilities, performing various ninjutsu, all with little effect whatsoever. The taijutsu specialist of the village, a boy named Gai (Arashi noticed how Naruto went kind of pale during their hasty first meeting) was running back and forth from the river quickly, at first nothing but a flicker, then finally a blur as he began to wear down. But other than a few cases such as his, the ninja--including the ANBU (save the two that had to be kept near Arashi)--were working side-by-side the villagers, simply passing the buckets along to put out the fire.

Naruto demanded to help; and Arashi would refuse him approval. And since he was the Hokage, this further angered Naruto because Kakashi--somehow already guessing which type of character Naruto possessed--moved to stand at his side instead of the Yondaime's. Naruto levelled him with a glare, and he eye-smiled at him. Then Naruto held up his hands, making a cross seal with his middle and index fingers, and yelled, "_Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_

Immediately, the puffs of smoke clouded around them, drifting lazily around the newly produced shadow clones. There were easily a thousand of them. Arashi's eyes widened, forgetting for a moment the state of his village; all the people of the Hidden Village stopped their efforts as well, and Naruto grinned hugely, slipping past Kakashi--who obviously didn't care enough to stop him, having disagreed in the first place with Arashi's refusal to let the obviously capable young shinobi assist at all--and yelling, "ALL RIGHT! LET'S DO IT!" like there was no place in the world he'd rather be than right there, right then, helping the village he loved for the people who would never love him.

---

Arashi watched all of his people with concern as he, too, ran through jutsu after jutsu, but his gaze kept returning to Naruto. His surprisingly massive amount of chakra had long since depleted, and one by one all of his bunshin had dissapeared. While other ninjas traded off, however, and stopped to take a breather, he worked straight through, never once pausing even to check his progress.

And the Yondaime could see his reasoning; if he looked up and saw little-to-no affect, he'd be discouraged--so he might as well keep his head down and imagine that the fire was dying even as he felt the heat of the flames licking across his skin. And as impressed--and proud--as he was, Arashi finally let his hands fall to his sides and made his way towards the blonde. "Naruto," he said gently. The orange-clad boy gave no sign he'd heard. Arashi sighed, and placed a hand on his shoulder, not the least bit fazed when the whisker-scarred container yelped loudly enough to make a few people glance over and spun around wildly to face him. "You're tired--how about you take a break?" He saw the answer coming before it came, but it had still been worth a shot;

"No way! Uzumaki Naruto never backs down!"

Arashi had to smile tiredly. "This isn't a battle, Naruto."

The vessel cocked a brow skeptically. "Are you sure?" he muttered sarcastically, still unwilling to look at the fire.

"It's going a whole lot better," Arashi said encouragingly. "But rest up anyway." When Naruto still looked ready to refuse, the man continued in a lower voice, "I could just have the ANBU restrain you."

Naruto was silent for a moment, head bowed slightly so his hair shadowed his eyes. When he lifted his face, his eyes were fast becoming a dark crimson and the lines on his face grew jagged and dark. "You really think they could?" he hissed in a deeper voice than a moment before.

He expected an immediate reaction and got one; Arashi's gaze filled with not horror, but a deep, aching sadness--and when he lowered his gaze, it wasn't out of fear but shame. This was enough to beat back Kyuubi with no fight at all, the carrier's eyes a brilliant and concerned blue. "Fourth? What's wrong?"

The man was quiet, but then he grinned and grabbed Naruto's wrist and dragged him away from the heat and confusion. "Just fine," he said cheerfully, shoving Naruto onto a park bench. Naruto frowned but said nothing, eyeing his father's expression with careful scrutiny. "Why didn't you tell me you could perform such a powerful shadow replication?"

Naruto stared at him. "No one ever asks me what I can and can't do. They just shove work on me and expect me to fail." He grinned hugely. "It's really fun, annoying them like that."

"'Them'..."

"Oh, the villagers. I mean, a few of 'em, like Iruka-sensei--" (Arashi made a mental note that Iruka was a worthwhile person, and stored said note away for later evalutation) "--and then Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan...and then everyone else..." His eyes got very bright as he spoke, recalling names and events and battles in his mind as the memory of them flitted behind his suddenly faraway gaze. "...they finally started to--"

"_NO!" _

They flinched at the scream and spun around, as did all the other amateur firefighters on break; a woman was screaming, having just woken from her unconciousness (all the smoke she'd inhaled had finally made her pass out; they'd carried her from the building), and it took several men to hold her back as she tried to thrash herself away and run back into the house. Naruto blinked after a few seconds of concerned staring, to find himself alone on the bench. He glanced around, then over at the woman, whose screaming had not ceased. "No! Let me go!" she shreiked desperately, tears in her eyes. And then he found his father, who'd gently pulled her into an embrace, calming her slowly with soothing words in the gentlest voice Naruto had ever heard him use. Then, once she _was _calm, Arashi asked her to please tell them why she was trying to run _into _the fire rather than from it, and she lost her cool again; "MY BABY'S IN THERE!"

In all the confusion, no one had really noticed whose house it was she pointed at, or the clan symbol she wore on her back; all the streets were englufed in flame, making discerning estates all but impossible, and it was too dark out even with the light of the fire to see clearly distinguish her from anyone else at all, for her sooty face matched everyone's. But Naruto, who'd ventured after the Yondaime, could see clearly the back of her shirt and took in the fan there with widening eyes.

_Uchiha._

And Naruto lost any shinobi sense he'd acquired throughout his short life--and all his thoughts screamed the same thing; _SASUKE! _So without further ado, he shoved through the people gathered around his dad rather than run around them (for in his haste, wouldn't that have taken too _long?),_ grabbed a bucket of water and dumped it over himself, dashed for the burning building, and dove in before anyone could register he'd moved.

---

It was like he'd stepped into another world; his sight went orange and then blurred as smoke hit him in the face upon entry. He gasped, making the mistake of inhaling, and proceeded to choke for a few seconds until the Kyuubi snarled, _**Idiot kit! If you're going to get us into something as senseless as this, at least think about what you're doing before you dive right in! **_

Naruto found himself nodding and stopped. He ground out, _Shut the hell up, Fox, _and then threw an arm over his eyes and slowly took a step forward.

---

Kakashi was not amongst the many trying to hold the Yondaime back from jumping into the burning building after his miniature clone, but rather stared after the boy for a few moments, stunned and a little awed by the boy's brazen disregard for danger. He was struggling, expression surprisingly unsure behind his mask, and his clenched fists started shaking after the first few minutes.

_What's taking him so long?_

He could hardly hear the ANBU's struggles to contain the aggrivated and highly concerned Hokage; it took a surprisingly large number of people to abandon their stations and hold the man back.

_He should be back by now._

The minutes passed and Kakashi felt himself begin to tremble; it wasn't like him--ever since Obito and Rin died, he'd kind of stopped caring about anyone but himself and his sensei. He didn't understand why, but he felt a kind of protectiveness towards Naruto, like, despite the fact that they were the same age, easily matched in strength (and Kakashi was completely outweighed in stamina), it was Kakashi's duty to look out for him, watch over him.()

_Why hasn't he come out?_

It made no sense to him, really, and he tried to convince himself that it was only because his sensei had taken a liking to him; but honestly, it was all vain effort. And it was getting to the point where Kakashi was ready to run in after him when he heard his teacher shout something behind him, something very fast rush past him, and the door of the flaming building smash in, a familiar figure in the doorway for not even a full second before it was gone again, lost inside.

It took a lot of effort to stop himself from following Arashi in; but really, he'd only get in the way. And if _anyone _was capable of dragging a resistent, stubborn blonde dobe from dying in a fire, it was Arashi.

Still, Kakashi never once moved from his tense stand--although it appeared so casual--directly in front of the splintered door; ready to be there the instant the blondes came out--hopefully with the sobbing woman's child.

---

_Fox...I can't breathe..._

_**Lower to the ground, kit; smoke rises. Don't be afraid; it'll only make you panic more.**_

_I am NOT panicking!_

_**Yes, we'll discuss this later once you're not in danger of being cooked to a delightful crisp.**_

Naruto forced his stiff limbs to bend and lowered himself onto the surprisingly hot ground. He searched room after room, prodding into every closet, every cabinet, every place a frightened child would hide. _Can you smell anything, Fox?_

_**I smell a lot of things; most of it smoke.**_

_You could just say no instead of allowing me that one minute of hope, _Naruto grumbled, padding forward, hands burnt and blistering, face in no better condition; his clothes were sooty and smoking. Finally, when he was ready to collapse, Kyuubi said, _**I hear something down the hall--two doors in the direction you're going.**_

Naruto turned on his knees without a word, lungs screaming for fresh oxygen that he could not supply; he continued on, past a room without stopping even to glance into it, and into the bedroom he as he was bid; when he pushed the door open farther, his fingers were too far blistered for him to feel the heat. And then he heard it too, and wondered how he could have missed it even with the roaring fire; something was wailing loudly at the top of its lungs, way past normal fear or hysteria. Naruto winced and commanded himself to stand, stumbling to the corner of the room that his demon pointed out, not even bothering to step around the fire anymore, letting one of his pants legs catch on fire. A small crib, miraculously untouched by the flames, held a little raven-haired boy who was screaming pathetically, faces screwed up and tears streaming from the tightly-closed eyes.

_Sasuke..._

_**That isn't your Uchiha, kit. That's... **_The Nine-Tails trailed off when his contained didn't acknowledge him speaking and, rather than grow irritated, let it go; he was surprised his vessel had made it this far. _**Well, **_the great beast said to himself as Naruto carefully lifted the frightened infant from its bed, _**he'll find out soon enough.**_

But as soon as Naruto had gathered the child--who'd calmed down slightly after his gentle touch--into his arms, the ceiling groaned overhead. Naruto's eyes widened, and he let his gaze travel upward before the support beams gave out and the roof caved. He had time to position himself over his charge, tucking the baby against his chest and curling into a tight ball, protecting it from the flaming mass he couldn't save himself from.

And as painful as it was, he felt it all; he was not granted the luxury of unconciousness. He had to keep himself in a hunched position, body curving over the baby in his arms--he couldn't allow himself to move even the slightest bit, for fear of the crushing him. Kyuubi let out a hissing breath, and red chakra (not even Naruto could see it) bubbled up around Naruto and his burden, protecting them from the fire--but that was all the Kyuubi could do. The heavy beam cut into Naruto's back, digging deeper each time he inhaled. He was swaying, trying not to topple over, fast losing the battle; he'd already lost it with his numb legs and arms.

The screaming fire...the screaming child...the screaming pain...the warmth, blossoming across the back of his shirt, the trickle of something down his face, dripping scarlet to the cracked and dry earth.

His vision was blurring dangerously--_Iruka-sensei! _he wanted to scream, _Kakashi-sensei! _But his lungs were laboring harshly and Naruto doubted he'd have the energy to breathe in a few moments, let alone shout.

_So...this is how I die...I'm sorry, Sasuke...I couldn't save you..._

_"NARUTO!" _

He didn't move for the longest time; he didn't have the energy to gasp, or to inhale sharply, or even to widen his eyes. So he turned his gaze upward to face the doorway, waiting, hoping, praying...

_**He can't find you, kit. You have to let him know where you are, **_the Nine-Tails said quietly.

_I...don't...have...enough...chakra...left..._

He forced his eyes to stay open; each time he blinked, it was a battle in itself not to just let himself drift into sleep. If not for the crying child in his arms, he might have. The situation seemed hopeless enough--and now his father was going to die as well.

Then Kyuubi let out a great flare of chakra, a brilliant, burning red that snarled as it rose into the air, putting the fire's monstrous roar to shame.

And then that familiar figure was in the doorway, silhoutted against the fire. There was a pause and then a hoarse voice whispered, _"...N...Naruto!" _And before he could drag his eyes back open from his previous blink, he felt two gentle hands cupping his face, and lifting his head; pushing the blonde hair from his sweat-and-soot-streaked face, tracing with a gossamer touch all his burns and scars. "Naruto," it hurt Naruto to hear so much pain and fear in that normally cheerful voice, "Naruto, stay awake...Don't shut your eyes, got it? _Stay awake, dammit!_ That's an order from the Yondaime!"

Naruto shifted so that he could move one of his arms, resting all his weight heavily on his useless legs and one elbow; the wreckage atop him shifted ominously, but he paid it no mind. With his free arm, he shakily drew the Uchiha child out and pushed him towards the older blonde. "Take...take...him..." he tried to whisper; the way it came out, he wondered if the Hokage could decipher his words at all. But from the look on the man's face, offering the infant to him seemed to have been enough.

"If you think I'm going to leave you here, Naruto," the man whispered, taking the child and leaning in close to Naruto's face, until the latter's unfocused gaze met the former's, "then you've never been as wrong before." He gave the baby back to him, pressing him into Naruto's hands because the boy seemed uncapable of gripping the baby on his own, and then turned his glare on the mass that lay over his son. He began to reach for it, but common sense held him back; even if he could find the strength to lift it, Naruto wouldn't be able to crawl out of harm's way, much less with the baby.

"Hokage-sensei," someone whispered, and Arashi spun around to find Kakashi at his side; the silver-haired ANBU's mask was hanging around his neck, revealing his concerned expression--he'd given up on looking impassive. "I'm sorry--I just couldn't wait any longer." He looked from the man to the boy and baby, then his jaw set under the black cloth of his face-mask. "I'll help Naruto--if you can lift that."

The man nodded, not wasting time with words, and Kakashi knelt in front of the barely-concious vessel, gripping Naruto's shoulders so he wouldn't upset the baby in his arms. "Naruto," he said quietly. "Can you hear me?"

Naruto shook his head, the ghost of a smirk flitting across his face for an instant before the pained grimace took its place once more.

Kakashi laughed shakily; relief at witnessing the boy's stubborn sarcasm led him to hope. "That's too bad--listen, sensei's gonna lift this off you, and when he does--" He broke off when Naruto nodded.

Arashi forced a majority of his chakra to his arms, and lifted the beam off his son with little effort. Naruto didn't waste time on attempting to get to his feet; instead he crawled forward on numb legs and and arms. Kakashi held the baby for him, helping him to move out of harm's way, watching sickly the blood pulse from the blonde's wound, the burns on his flesh begin to bleed. Arashi looked over his shoulder to make sure the threesome was far enough away, and then let the beam and all the ruin resting on it fall into the flames completely. "Kakashi," he said, face scarily emotionless. "Thank you."

Kakashi, recognizing it, smiled; his teacher had been worried, extremely so. He turned to leave, sure now that both blondes would be alright, and took the wailing child with him. When he was gone, Naruto, on his knees, swayed for a moment before falling forward. He expected to hit the ground and tried to brace himself for the pain; but two strong arms caught him first, nothing rough at all in the way they picked him up and cradled him like he himself was as much of a baby as the one he'd just rescued. And rather than be in any way indignant or even confused or curious, he only smiled weakly and snuggled closer, curling obediently into the man's hold.

Arashi was ignorant of the blood; he held his son close, eyes burning with tears that had nothing to do with fire or smoke. He let a few fall, whispering, "I'm so sorry, Naruto...I'm so sorry..." The little Genin's every scar, his every burn were branded into Arashi's mind, and he stood there, rocking his burden gently and whispering the same refrain over and over again. Then he remembered himself and, forcing his speed to excel past anything he'd acheived before, he had them outside the unstable estate just as Kakashi did.

Noticing everyone's stares, Kakashi frowned, turning to look over his shoulder at where their gazes were directed, and felt his eyes lock as well; Arashi, once he'd gotten out of the building, slowed to a walk, still cradling his son like he'd never let him go. The boy's head was lolling, his arms limp; he looked very much dead, and from the expression on the village's leader's face, he was just as afraid of that. And yet the sight was not soon to be forgotten--the Yondaime stepping out of the burning house with such an expression, holding a much younger blonde in both arms, brilliant gaze focused on nothing but said boy like his world would soon end.

"Jeez, Fourth," a rasping voice muttered, somehow heard by everyone nearby. "You look like someone died." Arashi's eyes widened and he whispered, "...Naruto?"

"Who else?" Naruto didn't move--couldn't, really, since he had literally _no _strength left--but let his head roll/fall to the side, and his gaze traveled to the woman, sitting with a dark-haired man, crying over her child and holding him close as the man--obviously her spouse--wrapped an arm around her shoulders. But her gaze soon met his and she smiled, tears falling freely down her face. She stood, handing her child lovingly to the man, who took him just as gently, and then made her way to the Yondaime.

"Thank you," she said with feeling, the words surfacing from the bottom of her heart.; no one could have managed otherwise, under such an intense set of blue eyes "Thank you so much, for saving Itachi."

Naruto's expression didn't change.

He blinked once.

"...Itachi, huh?" he muttered, facing skyward again. "Well, I guess that makes more sense than it doesn't." And, as shocking as that was, he felt no regret; a child is a child. Not saving that baby because of who he could--_could--_become in the future would be like casting out a child to be blamed for a misfortune that took place during his birth. And Naruto might've found that funny, if he wasn't so tired.

_**You don't regret it?**_

_Mm?_

_**Saving him--the one who will grow up to become what he will?**_

_Of course not, teme, _Naruto hissed, sounding disgusted. _What could I have done? In any different scenario, I would have done the same thing. It makes no difference to me who that baby will grow up to be. Didn't you tell me that just one thought or action could change history? _When the Fox didn't reply, Naruto smiled; he felt not resentment or skepticism, but silent approval coming from the great beast.

The woman was still watching him; Naruto didn't look at her, but said to no one in particular, "Look after him. Give him a lot of affection; a lot of time, and a _lot _of patience." Naruto smiled, still not moving his eyes from the smoke-filled sky. "He's gonna be a person people depend on."

When the woman left, returning to her family, the crowd slowly departed as well, filled with a new, burning desire to fight the fire. Arashi crouched, ready to take Naruto to the hospital at once--with or without ANBU--when the boy said quietly, "Rain."

And then, even as the winds died and the thunder quieted and the lightning faded, a light rain began to fall. Everyone stopped, glancing into the heavens as they opened up with a blanket of river to wash away the heat and smoke and fear and panic and loss. Arashi tipped his face up, letting the rain wash away his tears, when Naturo muttered something. He glanced down at once. "Yes? Naruto, what is it?"

The vessel's eyes were closing; this time he didn't put up a fight. "I said..." he whispered softly, just before losing himself to sleep, "thank you...Dad."

**() - Ironic, no? XD Just as Arashi did, Kakashi's feelin' those future vibes...**

**Sadly, this story won't be very long. -**.**- Gomen...Hopefully during the next chapter, the action will pick up a little bit...I'm aiming for ten chapters...but I doubt that'll happen...eh...**

**Btw--if you didn't like this chapter, you don't have to tell me about it, yeah? Please review--just don't flame. Arigato, ja ne.**


	6. Part 5

_Will of Fire (Part 5) - _

_Finality_

"Is he going to be alright?"

Arashi turned to smile at his student; the platinum-haired genius was watching the younger blond with unconcealed concern, mask dangling from where it tied loosely around his neck as he leaned over the whisker-scarred vessel's bed to peer into his face. Apparently, after Naruto's sudden introduction into Kakashi's life, the latter had been stunned; and then came to embrace the fact that he was as much of a son to his teacher (he didn't know the gory details) as he was, and let it go. In fact, Naruto so reminded him of his deceased teammates--kind-hearted at times, roudy and loud as hell during others--that Kakashi began to take a strangely protective liking to him; at least, that was everyone else's reasonings. Kakashi could put the feeling into words; he only followed it.

"He'll be fine," Arashi said, ruffling the silver spikes affectionately. "He's only tired is all."

The little blond container had passed out soon after the rain began to fall; even through his involuntary slumber, his grip on Arashi's sleeve had never loosened. Arashi hadn't set him down for hours either, slowly rocked him back and forth where he stood, glad it was raining so the tears wouldn't show; he'd finally called him 'dad'...

"Hn," Kakashi muttered, looking unconvinced but nonetheless appeased. Sighing regretfully, he drew on his mask--metaphorically as well as literally--and fell into his silent shell. "I've got to get back to work."

Arashi smiled ruefully. "I'd help..."

"Like Hell." Kakashi hopped back into the windowsill. "Anyway, we're nearly finished with half of the damage--we've got to clear out some more of the rubble, but the villagers have already started rebuilding." Arashi could tell that he smiled behind his mask. "They won't accept help from shinobi or even ANBU. They told us that they wanted to remember their village as one they helped to create, and to rebuild." 

Arashi grinned hugely. "_That's _my Hidden Village!" he said with a cheer in his tone, sounding not unlike a proud parent. Kakashi took a second--to roll his eyes, Arashi was sure--and then disappeared out the window.

The Fourth sighed, completely at peace with the world for the moment. He smiled down at his son, stroking blonde hair from the whisker-scarred face. "Sleep well, little guy."

---

He just kept sleeping. All through the next few weeks; and as the days built into months, he was checked into the hospital.

At the same time, Nasake's stomach was getting rounder and rounder: it seems that Naruto had not been quite so observant upon his arrival in the past, but Nasake was due to have a child in a few months; that is, before the fire.

The time kept passing, and he didn't wake up.

On the inside, however, he was screaming.

_"OI! FOX-BASTARD!__WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH MY BODY?!"_

_**Little brat, **_Kyuubi snarled in a tone Naruto hadn't heard in years. _**Shut the fuck up.**_

Naruto, however, was undeterred; he scowled. "_What?! Dammit, I need to wake up! How long have I been comatose?!"_

_**Almost two and a half months.**_

_"WHAT?!"_

_**You're actions are taking their toll on your body. You shouldn't do have the things you do normally **_**anyway, **_**but I'm always there to pick up the slack and make sure **_**you **_**don't **_**kill **_**yourself. **_Naruto was unimpressed; nevertheless, Kyuubi continued: _**Now, however, you're chakra--you're life--is battling to belong in a time it was not meant to set foot in. And I am in joint existence with another Nine-Tailed Fox--my past self. **_

Naruto was silent, now. Kyuubi waited almost patiently for him to catch on. _You mean..._

_**"I" am currently on my way to Konohagakure, with full intention of destroying it.**_

Naruto sat down, back against the bars. Kyuubi watched his small form kind of deflate, young face crumpling into a mixed emotion of overwhelming fear and distress and helplessness; but it was obvious he hadn't really grasped the full gravity of the situation. Then the Bijuu continued once more: _**And your mother is, apparently, here at the hospital as well.**_

Unquestioning the fact that he was in a hopsital, and that the beast inside him somehow knew, Naruto leapt up again. "_What?! Why?! Is she alright?! Did something happen?! Is--"_

_**Shut up, kit. **_Kyuubi growled. _**She's gone into labor.**_

Naruto stared at him for several minutes. "_You mean like...having a kid?"_

_**In the process of such, anyway.**_

Another long stretch of silence. "_...I see..." _Naruto then grinned hugely. "_That happens with us all, I guess...being born, I mean, not having kids...Heh, I--"_

_**'He's finally caught on...' **_Kyuubi thought to himself softly as two bright blue eyes widened hugely.

_"Wait...Kyuubi, what day is it?!" _

_**...October ninth.**_

---

His eyes fluttered open, then clenched tightly closed for another moment, before slowly opening half-way; a white wall met his gaze, and a strong, antiseptic smell assaulted his sensitive sense of smell. _I will always hate hospitals._

_**...You've...had enough experiences in them...to have means to say as much...**_

Naruto frowned, expression oddly sleepy and concerned. _Are you alright, Fox? _He'd never heard the kitsune sound so drained before.

_**Shut up, kit. I'll be fine after I...rest for awhile.**_

The blond vessel smiled softly. _Alright. Now--_these thoughts were his alone as he sat up in bed, trying not to fall back into a laying position again as his head spun--_I've got to find Dad--_

"Naruto!!" He winced, swaying, and nearly fell to the side, off the bed; strong arms caught him, held him fast. "Naruto, what in the name of anything even remotely holy do you think you're doing?!"

"D...Dad..." He surprised himself by speaking in such a weak voice. He frowned again, this time at himself, and opened his mouth to try a second time, when he was crushed into a desperate embrace.

"You little idiot. I was worried."

Naruto blinked several times, never used to such blatant affection meant only for him, before smiling softly and burrowing into the warmth. "I'm...sorry...I tried really hard to wake up."

"Nevermind that..." Arashi seemed to have to force himself to pull away from the longer-than-usual hug. His eyes were sparkling with relief, but the life in them faded after a few seconds. "We need to get you someplace safe. I'm assuming you're able to walk?"

Both blondes were familiar with Naruto's regeneration; Naruto having lived with it since birth, Arashi having witnessed it the night of the fire--so Arashi stood back and Naruto swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing--

"_Naruto!"_

For the second time in less than five minutes, Naruto had to be caught as his knees buckled, dooming him to a painful faceplant. _"Cut that out!" _his father snarled.

"Oy...you're the one who _assumed _I could walk." Naruto wasn't fooled by the false anger in the man's voice, merely scowling. "And like Hell I'm going anywhere."

"...Naruto..." Arashi seemed to struggle with something. "There's a _war _going on right now--a Nine-Tails Bijuu is attacking Konoha--"

"_ALREADY?!" _Naruto stiffened, squirmed out of Arashi's hold. _Fox, Fox, Fox! Please--_

_**...Yes, kit...**_

Chakra pulsed into him from Kyuubi's reserves; just as he was standing--albeit shakily--a doctor rushed in--"Yondaime-sama! Nasaka-sama--she's--"

---

Naruto waited outside in the hall, listening in horror the screams from both the room and outside the hospital. A little shamefully he knew that the ones coming from his mother scared him more; what if she were to die? It was foolish thinking, but still..she sounded like she was in so much pain...

And then, quite suddenly, he found it hard to breathe...He gasped, falling to his knees; clutching his throat, clawing at his chest, willing his lungs to _work--_

_**It is useless kit... **_Even Kyuubi's voice was faint. _**This is your birth--you and that infant cannot coexist...the new will push out the old to make way for its existence, however ignorantly. ...A person cannot exist twice in the same time frame. That isn't how it works.**_

_F... _Naruto continued to struggle, panicking and drawing blood when he continued to scratch at the flesh over his failing lungs. _F-Fox...we need...to...to help..._

_**Gaki...do you not understand we are dying?...No...we are completely fading from existence. **_The great kitsune's voice was resigned, regretful.

_Sin...Since we're going to...be gone any...way, we might...as well...do something while...we can..._

The Fox said nothing, choosing to instead watch his failing kit in silence. Two blue eyes met his, nothing 'failing' about them; they _gleamed _with determination, angry defiance, rebellion-- _"P...Please, Fox...These..." _Tears were suddenly welling in his eyes, not that he noticed. _"...People...are precious...to--"_

"Naruto?!"

Arashi emerged from Nasake's room, in time to see his son tremble and then cough hoarsely; light purple liquid poured from his mouth to the tile floor to glitter dazzingly, before fading. He stared, horrified; was that...chakra? Naruto coughed again, chest heaving dryly, face a tortured mask of agony--

_"Dad--help me stand..."_

His voice was odd, mechanical, as though he were talking through..._It must be that demon in him..._Arashi thought, mind strangely calm through his suddenly subdued panic. He reached down and gripped his son gently by the arms hoisting him into a standing position. Naruto stumbled in the general direction that would lead him to his mother; Nasake cried out weakly when she saw him, stopping rocking her newborn child. Naruto lurched to the bedside, staring in fascination at the infant; surprisingly, the wailing thing stopped crying and stared up at him. Two sets of liquid blue eyes gazed at once another; then Naruto raised a hand and brushed the tiny baby's cheek with a gentle finger.

"He looks...just like...me, doesn't...he?"

---

He stumbled into the battlefield, ignoring the cries and screams around him. The only thing he saw was the Kyuubi--roaring, shredding the forest, killing the finest shinobi of Konoha. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two parents consoling a young boy--Iruka!--telling him they wouldn't be killed.

No--they wouldn't; he would never, ever let that happen to his sensei.

In his arms, he clutched a sleeping child; _I'm so sorry. I know the pain you'll feel--but it'll be better...you'll have a father._

_**Are you ready, kit?**_

The vessel glanced wearily up at the beast, who'd just noticed his presence, and his faint demonic chakra.

_...Yeah._

TBC...

**THERE IS ONE CHAPTER LEFT!**

**Don't you all hate me now?**

**Yes. I would too. **

**Please don't flame--I know this was rushed, and it wasn't very well-written, but I tried...**

**Thanks for reading!**

**(And remember--one chapter left...)**


	7. Epilogue

**This story was kind of a failure. I should have dragged it out longer than I have. -sigh- Gomenasai. No, really. But I thank all of you for reading this far! It's been fun, despite what I said a few seconds ago, and I really enjoyed writing it, even if I could've done a better job than I did. **

**Ikusei!**

_Epilogue_

_"Naruto...what's wrong with you?"_

_Weary, feverish blue eyes traveled slowly upward to meet more concerned ones. He hitched a smile into place, closing his eyes and tilting his head weakly to one side. "It would take so long for me to explain..." Another coughing fit racked through him, leaving him gasping hoarsely and puking up more light-purple chakra._

_Arashi was helpless, panicked; he tried to keep himself calm, but his son--his beloved, precious son--was coughing up _chakra. _Blood would have been--while, more gruesome--a little more manageable; it was normal. But to see the younger blonde grope at the front of his jacket, wheezing and trying not to cry, it was hard not to try to do _something; _which led to the hasty questioning of well-being, even though an idiot could tell that Naruto was anything _but _well._

_"Can't you try?" the Yondaime pleaded softly._

_Naruto's eyes had widened at the Hokage's tone, and then his entire expression softened into an expression of nothing but forgiveness and regret...and love. All at once the ghost of his smile came back, more sincere this time than it had been before, and he exhaled, closing his eyes, closing himself, sealing off any outward emotion for as long as it would take him to get through his narrative, without collapsing or something of the like. _

_"Right now...the Kyuubi in me is dying--" He winced, recieving a sharp correction that only he could hear, and ammended "--er, that is...fading from existence. The Kyuubi attacking the village right now is his past self--since I come from another time--a time _years _after this one--then that means here I don't exist." He through a glance at his mother--who'd fallen asleep from exhaustion--and then quickly averted his gaze again. 'Easier than the truth,' he thought to himself bleakly, before continuing, "So the same fate is befalling me." From the expression of his father, the latter didn't understand. Naruto tried to gather the last bits of his fleeting consciousness as he mumbled, "The Kyuubi are battling for the right to exist. One can't live while the other does; out with the old, in with the new, right?" A bitter smile; a deep breath. "So when the time comes for the two to reach the climax of their battle, one's gonna fall short, and the other's gonna triumph. And you can guess which one that will be." _

_Arashi was silent, watching his son--his son--close his eyes again and lay his head back. 'How can he be so strong about this...How can he be so _strong_? I feel like I've missed out on something...Which is probably the most ironic understatement in the world...' "Isn't there...isn't there something that can be done?" Arashi was clutching at straws and he knew it, but anything was better than the notion Naruto was suggesting. "The...What...Ah!" The Yondaime looked up with a painfully hopeful smile on his face. "The s--I could seal--"_

_Something shattered; blood dripped from Naruto's knuckles, and the broken glass of the vase that had been sitting on the bedside table lay scattered about the floor._

_"Do. Not. Finish. That. Sentence," Naruto managed to gasp. "If you try it...if you try..."_

_Arms were around him, comforting hands soothing hair back from his face, cool on his fevered skin. "Sshh..." Naruto let himself be rocked slightly, eyes sliding a little further shut. "It has to be done by someone Naruto..."_

_"Not by you."_

_"Then who?" The Fourth smiled grimly into the younger blond's hair._

_"I'm here now."_

_There was another pause, this one short and very tense. "Like hell!" the Yondaime snarled yanking away with enough abruptness that Naruto swayed dangerously. Immediately his anger softened and he pressed Naruto back against the pillows gently. "No way."_

_"That baby...Looks a lot like me...Doesn't he...?" Naruto's eyes fell over to where the sleeping baby lay nestled in his mother's arms. "Take care of it...Promise?"_

_"Naruto, stop it," Arashi said swiftly, "it's not going to happen."_

_"It has to, Dad," Naruto said, smiling. "I'm going to be gone soon, anyway. And believe it or not, Kyuubi knows enough about the seal that he'll be able to walk me through it. We've got enough strength combined to take care of it all. You don't have to worry about Mom, or the baby, or the village...I'll take care of it."_

_"I'm worried about you, you idiot," the Fourth snapped. "I don't think I could bear it if...I..."_

_"Dad...will you do me a favor?"_

_"...Depends what the favor is."_

_"How did I know he'd ask that," the younger blond muttered, before saying louder, "Make sure I eat ramen when I'm younger; that way I'll have developed an obsession as big as yours."_

_Arashi blinked. "Naru--"_

_"And be sure you teach me Rasengan...I'll definitely have to know Kage Bunshin, that's, like, _my _technique."_

_"What are you--"_

_"And do NOT forget to teach me my nindo," these words were firm, severe, "and 'dattebayo'."_

_"Shut up!" Arashi winced when his shout made Nasake shift in her unwilling sleep. "Naruto...I don't understand what you're saying...But...you aren't going to die...You _can't die." _He was grasping at straws here, and he knew it. "What about your dream? You have to become Hokage! You swore, didn't you?! I thought you always kept your word!"_

_Naruto chuckled, like what the Yondaime had said was just amazingly funny. "I'm dying. I'm just...fading. But you won't have time to miss me." A bittersweet smile. "No...you'll have a whole lot more time this go around. I promise." He smiled again, hugely and more sincerely. "I guess...my dream...doesn't matter to me anymore..."_

_The words sounded hollow; they rang untrue in Arashi's ears. "Liar."_

_"Heh! Caught me." Finally, Naruto couldn't speak anymore. He drew in a haggard breath and then let it out with a sigh. "It's been...nice...dad." Arashi opened his mouth, but Naruto threw him a pleading glance; "Please, let me say this before...Please." When silence followed, Naruto tried again; "I...really...can't tell you how...happy I was to...get to know you...You've always been idol." A warm, adoring smile. "Always, always. And you always will be, I can swear to you that. I...may be troublesome at times...but you put up with me...and you seemed glad to...That was new for me...no one's ever been that way around me, 'cept for Iruka-sensei...and...it...meant a lot." The words were harder, now. "I know you'll look after me...I know you'll give me as much of your time as I call for, even if it's ridiculously unreasonable...but don't let me slack off, _ever. _Tell me..." He smiled faintly. "Tell me..._

_"About a blonde dobe you found one day, half-dead and bleeding everywhere. Tell me how fast he healed up, and got back to living again...and how his dream was to be Hokage, to protect all of the ones important to him, to keep safe his unique nindo...Tell me about the demon sealed in him, and make sure I know you aren't lying; tell me all about how Kyuubi helped him through the rough times, how the bastard-fox wasn't so bad once the boy proved himself to him. Tell me...about living alone, without a friend in the world--about going hungry for days, and training himself to physical exhaustion, just to prove he had what it takes...and tell me how he didn't let that drag him down--or, at least, he didn't let anyone know it dragged him down. _

_"...Tell me...about the best friends in the world; the ones who accepted him, protected him, fought beside him, with him, for him...The ones who...he believed...wouldn't turn their backs if they learned of his possession. Make sure I understand how valuable they were, how utterly and completely precious they were to him, how he would throw himself in front of any one of them, take any blow for them..._

"_Tell me how long he fought for his dream--how hard he worked to acheive it..._

"_But most importantly..." Naruto smiled again, eyes sliding shut. "Tell me about the greatest father in the world." He settled back slightly, and muttered, "I hope you've been writing this down."_

_There was a very long pause; tears were streaming down the Fourth's face, but he really didn't notice them. His eyes were wide, transfixed upon the somber youth only inches away. He couldn't think of anything to say...And then he found the right words:_

"_Naruto. I want you...I want you to be the Rokudaime."_

_He could've slapped the boy, for the reaction he got was roughly the equivalent; two electric blue eyes snapped open, focusing in on with deadly accuracy the Fourth. _

"_I don't have any other choices." The Yondiame's voice was firm, unyeilding. No way in hell would he let his son...would he let his son part from him without at least giving him the greatest thing he could._

_When Naruto spoke his voice was hollow; "How could...you...I'm going to be _gone. _I _can't be _the Hokage."_

"_Yes--yes, you can." He was speaking through gritted teeth. "I say you're the next Hokage, and dammit, what I say goes! You're face is going up next to the other Hokages, and it's going to be just as official as they were!"_

_He again felt the full force of Naruto's alien gaze boring into his own; and then the fierce look softened and the blue misted over with moisture. "Thank...thank you..." Naruto clenched his eyes shut and grinned hugely; his eyebrows were arched, brow slanting upward in the middle. "But...I can't..." He looked ready to cry again, even with the smile on his face. "But...I can't. I'll be useless to the village. I want to be remembered as the greatest Hokage--not as one who lasted a few hours."_

"

_His eyes flashed dark purple, then red; his hand flew out before the Yondaime could register he'd moved. When the older blond crumpled to the floor, Naruto's smile faded. "Sorry, dad." He hopped down, stumbled, swayed and then straightened. He pulled the Fourth into his bed, and then stood back, getting one last look at him. He tried to memorize his every feature, carving them into his memory. _

**Kit.**

Yeah. Yeah, I know.

_He stared a few seconds longer at the unconscious man, before stepping back up to the bed and leaning over him, resting his head on his shoulder so the two blondes were cheek to cheek._

"'_Bye."_

---

_...N...Naruto..._

He was blind, deaf to the chaos around him, as Med-nin rushed about and families tried to find shinobi relatives. He heard people calling out to him, several people reach out to him, but he didn't feel it. The only thing he saw--the only thing his eyes would take in--was the small orange bundle laying in the middle of the scorched clearing. His breath caught, and suddenly his legs wouldn't support him. Dropping to his knees, he stared at the unconscious infant, eyes widening, darkening in horror.

"Hokage-sensei!"

The voice sparked something in the blond kage's mind; he blinked slowly, not registering the hand on his shoulder. And then someone gasped.

"...Naruto..." A platinum-haired masked ANBU was crouched next to the baby, reaching out to it but unwilling to touch it. Instead, Kakashi brushed his fingertips against the orange cloth wrapped around it. "This is his jacket."

_His...jacket..._

"...I...He...he died, didn't he..." Kakashi voice was oddly choked, expression hidden behind his dog mask. The nin-dogs gathered around him whined softly. The Fourth realized somewhere that his only student was crying. "I wasn't...I...Just like Obito..."

And when Arashi pulled him into an embrace, he was a little surprised to feel Kakashi hug him back; the gesture was small, the silver-haired boy simply clenching the back of his shirt, but it was there.

The night passed slowly. Several ninja were gathered around him, speaking to him, but their voices all slurred together in a kind of sound-haze. He stumbled back in the general direction of the hospital, hugging the seemingly lifeless infant close to him, inhaling the painfully familiar scent on the jacket.

When he glanced at the baby, really looked at it, he saw familiar whisker-scars cut into each cheek.

_Possession marks..._

The Fourth stopped walking abruptly, vision gone blurry, eyes stinging. It wasn't until the tears hit his child's face that he realized he was crying.

_"He looks...just like...me, doesn't...he?"_

He hugged the little thing closer. _Naruto...you knew..._

_"And do NOT forget to teach me my nindo, and 'dattebayo'."_

_You knew._

---

They stood together at the funeral, closed casket for there was no body recovered, watching the entire village mourn their loss of the blonde little shinobi that they'd known only for less than a year. Iruka was sobbing shamelessly, both his parents at his side; his mother was crying heavily, and his father stood with an arm around each of them. The Uchiha Clan was there as well, Itachi's mother rocking him, trying to explain to him in a choked voice what was happening; he looked on with wide, dark eyes, not understanding why everyone around him was so upset. When it was their turn to walk forward, he smiled upon seeing Naruto's picture (curtesy of the Yondaime), and burbled happily, reaching out to it with tiny fingers.

Kakashi had a very empty expression on his face; for this occasion, he'd lowered both his ANBU and cloth mask, but no one really noticed; everyone's attention was transfixed on the table where various pictures of the happy-go-lucky dobe sat, along with the tattered orange jacket.

At the end of the service, Arashi--who had taken the whole thing strangely well, surprising his village immensely--lifted the jacket off of the table and wrapped it around the newborn he carried with him everywhere. "See this, Naruto?" he said quietly, letting the baby rub his face in the cloth. "This is your favorite jacket."

Nasake joined him, taking his hand and lacing her fingers through his, and they turned to glance at the monument; already, work had begun on the stretch of rock that would bear the face of none other than Uzumaki Naruto.

---

He raced down the street with palpable elation, orange jacket flapping out around him. "I PASSED, I PASSED! DAD! DAD, I PASSED!" His sensei watching him go running to the Yondaime (who was waiting just down the street for him), affectionately and proudly, standing in the doorway of the Academy. He continued to watch as the little boy tackled the Hokage, who chuckled and ruffled his hair lovingly. Villagers passing by smiled tenderly at the sight and waved hello.

_He reminds me so much of..._The brunette man stopped, and glanced at the monument, seeing nothing but the whisker-scarred face beaming down on him.

---

"G'bye, nii-san!" Sasuke called, waving enthusiastically over his shoulder as he raced to his team. Itachi smiled back, nodding; watching as Sasuke tackled his best friend, said blonde laughing cheerfully with no argument at all.

"Good luck on your first mission, Sasuke," the older Uchiha said kindly, even though Sasuke was by far out of earshot, before dissapearing in a poof.

"Are you ready to go?" their platinum-haired leader asked suddenly, smiling at them through his mask.

"Hai, Kaka-niichan!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically. "I've been ready since that old guy--" he pointed at their client, the bridgebuilder from Wave "--asked us for a mission." Team Seven as a whole ignored the drunken man's grumbling response, and started out the gates. Naruto and Sasuke grinned at one another, while Sakura giggled happily. It had worked out so well for them, the three of them being chosen as a team together; and to make things better, Kakashi was their leader. Arashi swore he had nothing to do with it, so Naruto suspected Iruka-sensei was the culprit. Either way, he was happy--incredibly so--with the way things turned out.

_Right, Kyuubi-niichan?_

_**Shut up, kit. **_

---

He stopped at the gates to Wave abruptly, and his team glanced back at him with some concern. Naruto's eyes were narrowed as he stared past them, as though trying to discern something that wasn't there. His bandaged hand was clenched into a fist.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Kakashi asked at once, stepping towards him (Arashi briefed a select few on what had happened with Naruto--Kakashi was one of those people while, sadly, Iruka was not).

"I...dunno..." Blue eyes shimmered though there was no light, taking on a hint of some emotion Kakashi hadn't seen since the day Arashi found a dying boy in the training fields so many years ago..."This place...seems...familiar somehow...but I've never been here before...

"It's like...like...a memory from a dream..."

_Owari_


End file.
